Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Schools from 16 States and the District of Columbia Vie for $150,000 in Grants from The Home Depot Campus Improvement Program

Attention HBCU Alumni: Vote to improve your school today!

New York, NY– April 5, 2010 – Sixty-two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) from across the country have been announced as finalists in The Home Depot 2010 “Retool Your School” campus improvement grant program. The HBCU finalists are competing for $150,000 in on-campus improvement grants and are counting on their communities and the public to help them win. From April 5 to May 15, supporters can visit www.homedepot.com/retoolyourschool to vote for their favorite HBCU and help make a difference on the campuses.

“We know as well as anyone that the smallest change can have the biggest impact on the lives of others,” said Frank Bifulco, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, The Home Depot. “This program does more than just enhance the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It also offers our communities the opportunity to show their support for these culturally rich institutions.”

The HBCU finalists hail from the great states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, DC and West Virginia. Some of the potential improvement projects entered by the HBCU finalists include upgrading a student greenhouse, creating an alumni remembrance butterfly garden and adding a baseball field. Each of the improvement projects entered will enhance campus life for current students and future generations.

To apply for the “Retool Your School” grants, Historically Black Colleges and Universities submitted applications on the “Retool Your School” Website by the March 15 entry deadline. One $50,000 grant recipient and 10 $10,000 grant recipients will be selected by votes submitted by the public and an advisory board of community influencers. The “Retool Your School” winning schools will be announced in June. Fifty-nine percent of the nation’s HBCUs applied to the “Retool Your School” grant program.

As part of this unique program, The Home Depot also created three new commemorative HBCU “Retool Your School” gift cards to showcase inspirational moments experienced on HBCU campuses as well as how-to projects, from painting to landscaping. For each gift card sold, a donation equal to five percent of the face value, up to $150,000, is being designated for the on-campus improvement grants. Consumers can purchase the specialty gift cards online at www.homedepot.com/retoolyourschool. An e-gift card, which will deliver a digital e-card instantly to the e-mail of the recipient’s customer’s choosing and traditional plastic gift cards can also be ordered and mailed for free. Instant e-gift card denominations start at $10 and traditional gift card denominations start at $25.

For more information on The Home Depot “Retool Your School” grant program or to purchase a “Retool Your School” gift card, visit www.homedepot.com/retoolyourschool. Source: UniWorld